Fare-registering apparatus.



PATENTBD MAR. a1, 1903,

Iqzvezafir art-lowing}:

.No, 723,907. G. A. OWEN.

FARE REGISTERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 1902. A

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ALFRED OWEN, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

FARE-REGISTERING; APPARATUS.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 723,907, dated March 31, 1 903.

Application filed July 28,1902. Serial No. 117,253. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE ALFRED OWEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a residentof Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvetnents in Fare-Registering Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. V

This invention relates to automatic fareregisters, especially to the kind used by conductors on street-railways.

The object of the invention is to provide a device that may be easily carried by the conductor and presented to the passengers in the car, who will deposit their coin in an extension of the register, and which latter in its passage into the coin-receptacle of theregister will automatically actuate a suitable registering device.

My invention further comprises an extensible coin-chute that may be caused to automatically lengthen, and thereby enable the conductor to present the receiving end of the chute in proximity to a passenger who may be on the other side of the car from which the conductor is standing, so that said passenger may himself deposit the coin, and thus'obviate the necessity of having to pass the fare by the intervening passengers or the conductor having to go across the car to reach said passenger; and my invention comprises such further details of construction and arrangement either separately or in combination as will be fully described hereinafter with reference to the drawings, and then fully pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, certain parts being shown in the section. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Like'characters of reference'indicate the same parts in the several views. 7

As shown in the drawings, the device com prises a receptacle 12, having a handle 13 attached to its upper-portion. A second receptacle 14: is secured to the said receptacle, and both receptacles have open bottoms, that are closed by a commonbottom plate 14, that is hinged to one of the receptacles and may be secured in place by a suitable hasp and padescapement 21.

capement and operate the register.

lock. Secured to the receptacles is a coinchute 16, containing several tubes telescopicallyarranged,18and19. Theinnermosttube, 19, is curved upwardly at its extremity and has a funnel-shaped portion 20, containing a slot registering with the extremity of the tube 19. All of said tubes are flattened, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. 7

Near the extremity of the tube 19 is arranged a suitable registering device 21, that is actuated by a coil-spring 22, arranged to be put under tension by a suitable key filling the square shank 23. When the spring has been wound up, it is prevented from unwinding, and thereby operating the register, by an The escapement'has an extension 25 projecting into the path of the coin passing through the tube 19. Consequently when a nickel or other coin is dropped 'intothe tube 19 it will trip the escapement in its passage downwardly to the receptacle 12, and thereby cause the register to advance one number, and as each successive coin passes through the tube 19 it will trip the es- A tube 30 is secured to the tube 19 in proximity to the register and telescopes in the tube 31, which latter slides in a tube 32, secured to the receptacle 14. In the tube30isarranged a helical spring 33, having one extremity secured in the tube 32 adjacent the receptacle 14 and its other end secured to the closed outer extremity of the tube 30. The spring 33 is arranged to force the tube 30 outwardly, and consequently. to carry the tube 19, with the receiving-funnel 20, outwardly the limit of its movement.

A bent lever 34 is suitably pivoted to the device and has one extremity 35 arranged to enter apertures in the telescoping tubes 16, 18, and 19, which apertures register when the said tubes are in their innermost position. Consequently this lever will securely retain the'tubes from .being extended by the action of the spring 33; but when the extremity 35 of the lever, that is arrangedin proximity to the handle 13, is pressed by the thumb or other finger the extensible tubes 16, 18, and 19 will be free to move and will be forced outwardly to their full limit of movement by the spring 33.

I arrange a suitable buffer 36 on the tube the action of the spring 33.

19, so as to break the shock in case the end of the tube should strike with any hard ob jects upon being extended, and the register 37 is attached in proximity to the handle and is operated by a lever 38 Wheneveratransfer or ticket or the like is inserted into the receptacle 14 through its mouth It. The lever 38 has an arm 39 arranged to ring a bell 40 each time the register'is operated.

At one extremity of the handle I attach a suitable strap 41, that may be passed around the wrist of the conductor, so that he may carry the device thereby and yet have his hand free, or, if preferred, a strap 41 maybe "used to suspend the device from the shoulder or belt'of the conductor.

In the operation of using the device the conductor grasps the handler13 and moves it so that the receiving end of the coin-chute isin proximity to the passenger for him to deposit the proper coin therein, which will automatically cause the register to operate and then pass down into the receptacle 12, as hereinabove described. A spring-trip 12 prevents the coin from being improperly withdrawn from the receptacle 12. When it is desired to collect the fare from a passenger who cannot be reached by the conductor, the latter operates the lever 35, that will permit the coin-chute to automatically extend itself by When it is desired to place the coin-chute in its position of shortest length, the conductor can place his hand upon the butter 36, retaining his other hand on the handle 13, or, if preferred, it can be shortened by simply pressing the buffer 36 against the side ofthe car or any suitable place which will cause the tubes 18 and 19 to slide inwardly until their apertures register, and thereby engage the extremity of the lever 3t.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination, of the coin-receptacle and an extensible coin-chute attached thereto.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a coin-receptacle an extensible coin chute attached thereto, and means for retaining the chute in its extended position.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a coin-receptacle, and an autom atically-extensible coin-chute attached thereto. 7

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, an extensible coin-chute secured thereto, means tending to retain the chute in an extended position, a detent arranged to retain the chute against extension by said latter means, and means for releasing the detent to thereby permit the chute to be extended.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, an extensible telescopic coin-chute, secured thereto, a spring arranged to extend the chute, said chute having apertures arranged to register when the chute is in its non-extended position, andaleverarranged to engage the tubes at their said apertures when registering.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle and handle secured thereto, an extensible coin-chute secured to the receptacle,and a buffer attached to the outer portion of said coin-chute.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, a handle attached thereto, an extensible coin-chute secured tothe receptacle, and a supportingstrap attached to said handle in proximity to the coin-chute...

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, a handle attached to the receptacle, a coin-chute attached to the receptacle, a second receptacle connected with said receptacle, a register ar ranged in proximity to said handle, a lever arranged in proximity to said handle for operating the register, and a bell arranged to be operated by said lever.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a receptacle, a coin-chute attached thereto, a second receptacle connected with said receptacle, and a hinged base-plate common to both receptacles.

Signed by me at Springfield, Massachusetts, in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEORGE ALFRED OWEN.

WVitnesses:

WILLIAM H. REID, WM. S. BELLoWs. 

